Lakewood Ranch CERT

Here to help in times of disaster

On Our Web Site

Family Disaster Planning
Here is information to help you and your family plan and prepare for disasters that may affect our area. You will find information about hurricane threats, evacuation routes, County flood zones, home disaster supply kit items, checklists and links to other helpful information.
About CERT
Interested in getting trained to help your family and your neighbors in the event of a disaster? This section has all the Frequently Asked Questions about Lakewood Ranch CERT volunteer opportunities.
Upcoming Events
CERT General Membership Meetings are held at Town Hall and most are open to residents on a space-available basis. Presenters come from local medical, police and fire organizations as well as CERT instructors, and topics range from the annual hurricane threat assessment presentation to disaster planning for pets. Area events such as the annual Sarasota Airport Disaster Exercise and courses offered by the County Department of Emergency Management are also listed.
Photo Gallery
Pictures of Lakewood Ranch CERT training sessions, disaster drills and member participation in area events.
Members Section
This section of our web site contains information of special interest for CERT members. It contains committee working materials, training skill review checklists and videos, policy and procedure guidelines, and news of programs for members.

Hurricane Season June through November

New! Click to download the 2013 NOAA Extreme Weather Information Sheet

Family Hurricane Preparation

Click for information...

Welcome to the Lakewood Ranch Community Emergency Response Team

Lakewood Ranch CERT, established in 2006 under a special Department of Homeland Security and FEMA program, is a volunteer organization of neighbors who receive special training to provide search and rescue, first aid and radio communications support in response to disasters and emergencies when professional responders may not be able to reach everyone as soon as help is needed. We are part of the Manatee County, Florida disaster response system and are located in and serve the residents of Lakewood Ranch, Florida, midway between Bradenton and Sarasota on Southwest Florida's Gulf Coast.

Disaster support provided by our CERT teams –

Conducting house-by-house search and rescue in the neighborhoods.
Providing first aid and evacuating the injured.
Reporting the nature and severity of injuries to the County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for dispatch of emergency services.
Assessing flooding, accessibility of neighborhood streets, gas leaks and fire and relaying this information to the County EOC for action.
Assisting police, fire and Emergency Medical Services when they arrive on the scene.

There are currently over 200 active and reserve CERT volunteers, organized into 28 neighborhood teams within the Lakewood Ranch community.

Watch the Video

(Click on the image to start the video)

Check this web site often for disaster information and preparedness resources. (See the sidebar on the right for more that is available on the web site.)

Want More Information?
Want to learn about becoming a member of Lakewood Ranch CERT? Read the Frequently Asked Questions, download a copy of our information card and newsletter (below), or Contact Us.

Click on either of the images above to open or download.

November 2012 CERT course participants and instructors from East Manatee Fire Rescue (click here to read more)